Happy New Year, folks! I’ve had a fantastic time this past year putting together all the videos and articles here and as a way to celebrate I thought I’d relax a little and share with you one of my favorite short stories. When I was little my mother would read this to me and to this day it never fails to make me smile. I hope you enjoy it! Just click on the title card below to watch.

If you have any ideas for topics you’d like to discuss or other stories to read in the new year leave them in the comments!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy 2016!

Greetings, folks! We’ve got a new episode up over on the Bookworm History YouTube channel all about the history behind Alexandre Dumas’ classic “The Three Musketeers”! Click the title card to check it out!

Thanks to a new Google Doodle the internet is all abuzz with talk of Elizabeth Cochrane. Born 151 years ago today, Cochrane, better known as Nellie Bly, was many things. Investigative journalist. Author. World traveler. Record breaker. She was also something that is largely forgotten: a board game.

The game was released in 1890 to capitalize on Bly’s recent “Round-the-world” trip, which she accomplished in a record-breaking 72 days. The board design was first printed in black and white on the front page of the New York World, the newspaper that Bly wrote for and the one who sponsored her trip. The full game was produced by McLoughlin Bros., a Brooklyn-based game manufacturer famous for their fun and colorful sets.

For more about Nellie Bly and her record-breaking race around the world (yes, she was racing another woman although she didn’t find out about it until she was halfway home) check out “Eighty Days” by Matthew Goodman.

Greetings, folks! Just posted a new episode over on the Bookworm History channel all about the story behind “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville” by Sir John Mandeville! Click on the image below to check it out!